American Prison System

Inmates know that good time credit can have a great positive impact in their sentence. Many of them can see that their sentence is reduced if they have good time credit. But, what is it? Good time credit is time you earn in your favor once you are in jail for every day that guards do not have to call your attention, you do not get into trouble and you do as you are told.
If this is your first time in prison, you know that being in jail can be a stressing and depressing experience. Learning to survive in it is one of the first things you should know. And behaving yourself properly and avoiding trouble are two basic steps towards a somewhat calm time in prison.
In order to achieve good time credit it is highly advisable that you always obey prison officers and guards. Every day they fill in a book with the names and numbers of the prisoners that they had to call their attention and if your name appears on the list you may be not only deprived of benefits or be sent to punishment cells but also be penalized with a longer sentence.
Attending lessons, from educational groups or vocational training, is also a great way of achieving good time credit. Being in a class shows that you are committed to changing your life and that you have discovered that committing crimes leads you to nowhere.
Federal prisons offer almost 55 days of time off for good behavior per year and state prisons offer you almost the same benefits. Some state s offer you up to 15 days per month for good behavior.

Having a relative in prison can be a hard experience for anybody. But when the inmate is your husband, things can get extremely difficult for their wives and children, especially if they cannot cope efficiently with the situation and they have restrictive means to keep up with their daily life and duties.
While your husband is in prison, you are supposed to wait for him at home, keeping your children happy and educated and making your best effort to deal with the stressing visits to the prison facility. Odds are that you have to face serious problems. Financial, social, emotional and personal issues may arise and many a time you have to deal with them by yourself. You are supposed to pay the bills, take care of your children and make sure that their daily routine is not significantly altered. They already have to undergo the stressing situation of not seeing their dads daily and feel the stigmatization at school.
Many women grieve their husbands in prison just as if they have recently became a widower, with the main difference that a widower can always move forward but a prison wife finds doing this extremely difficult. Her husband is still out there but she cannot share her life with him. And she cannot make friends or socialize less even make new male friends as she feels that she is not being faithful to her husband.
And unfortunately there are no support networks for prison wives you can rely on to make the process easier and help you cope with it better.
If you are a prison wife, you should take one day at a time. Devote yourself to small daily projects and goals that are easy to reach and provide you with a sense of fulfillment.
Keeping a diary where you can freely and openly write about your feelings is also highly advisable. It can be the only chance you have to be sincere about what is going on in your heart and head. Keep pictures of your husband all around the house if you feel like it.
Receive religious support or join a charitable organization. It helps you feel that you are giving back something to society. Start a hobby. It will keep your body and mind busy and for many prison wives their hobbies have even become a source of income.
Needless to say, keep in touch with your husband. Write letters and cards to him, magazine clippings he may like and, if you can, accept phone calls from him. Take pictures of you and your family and send them to him. Remember that he is also missing you and his family very much.